Culbreath: Football Camps Overview

As NFL, college, and even high school football camps march forward, I’ve been keeping my eye on a few names in the bigs with local ties. Bernard Reedy is wowing them in Atlanta, Jayrone Elliot is doing things in Green Bay, and David Fluellen is having some fun in Philly.

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But a name popped up this week that made me smile bigger than I have in a long time: T.J. Fatinikun was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, it doesn’t mean he’s made the team headed into the season, but at least he has a shot.

Seeing his name come across the wire took me back to 2006. We used to do a High School Football Scoreboard Show on WSPD (with the unflappaple Jim Heller as host), and I was one of 5 or 6 stringers that would go out to games across the region and phone in reports. For a while, I ended up at Clay High School regularly, but for this week, I was sent to Steinecker Stadium. And who was lighting it up that night but a sophomore with a name I very likely mispronounced in my first report of the night. TJ was all over the field that night, and he ended that year with 73 tackles, 15 for a loss, and 10 friggin’ sacks. I’m pretty sure I said to myself that night “That kid is definitely playing on Saturdays.”

So imagine my surprise when he ends up wearing the Midnight Blue and Gold in 2009. And he immediately contributed: his sophomore year, he led the team with 13 tackles for a loss, and was third in the MAC with 4 forced fumbles, earning him a spot on the third team All-MAC squad. The injury bug would hit him his junior year, when he injured his elbow in early October. But his contributions up to that point were still enough to get him named third-team All-MAC again.

In what should have been a breakout senior season for TJ, instead another injury. This time, a torn Achilles tendon ended his season in October again, and his college career ended with it. He would lobby the NCAA for a medical hardship redshirt, but would be turned down.

Still, not one to back down, TJ found his way onto the playing field after college: making time in the Arena League in 2014 with both Orlando and Portland. He certainly made the most of his time there: combining for 20 tackles and 3 sacks in 11 games between the two teams. Now that all’s left for the Arena League is their championship game (being played in, wait for it, Cleveland of all places), TJ went looking for work, and found it in Tampa. And what luck, former Rockets teammate Eric Page is already there!

No, nothing is a guarantee for any of these names. For TJ, it might be a “Last In, First Out” situation. Bernard Reedy might just miss out on the 52-man roster. Zac Kerin might not cut the mustard in Minnesota (it’s incredibly hard to get news on offensive linemen, by the way.) But seeing these guys get the chance is an incredible pleasure. For guys like Fatinikun, being able to see it from that cramped press box at Steinecker Stadium, it’s been a privilege.

On Aug. 4 evening a group of dedicated golfers took a break from the Ohio Senior Amateur Hall of Fame Tournament at Plum Brook Country Club in Sandusky to honor four of the best golfers Ohio has ever produced.

Fred Altvater

Three members of the class of 2014 have Toledo roots. Alan Fadel has been one of the best golfers in the Toledo area for decades and has won 11 Inverness Club Championships. John Cook was born in Toledo and has had a very successful amateur and professional golf career. Frank Stranahan was a legendary golfer throughout the 1940s and 1950s, second only in amateur status to the incomparable Bobby Jones.

Stranahan was a lifelong resident of Toledo and member of the Inverness Club. While a junior golfer, he received instruction from Inverness Club head professional, Byron Nelson.

Stranahan, heir to the Champion Spark Plug fortune, remained an amateur golfer his entire career. Although he never won the U.S. Amateur, he finished runner-up in 1950. He won the British Amateur Championship in 1948 and 1950, when they were still considered major championships.

He finished runner-up in the 1947 Masters, as well as, the 1947 and 1953 British Open Championships. The “Toledo Strongman” added a top-10 finish in the 1958 U.S. Open.

He was one of the original devotees of physical fitness and even mentored Gary Player.

In all, he won a total of 26 amateur events and appeared on three Walker Cup Teams.

Playing as an amateur, he also won six tournaments on the PGA Tour from 1945-1958 and added three Ohio Open trophies to his mantle.

Stranahan, having retired to Florida, traveled to Toledo for the 2003 U.S. Senior Open held at the Inverness Club. While he stood at the back of the practice range intently watching the competitors hit balls, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer interrupted their warm-up routines to shake hands and reminisce with one of the greatest amateur golfers of all time.

Alan Fadel is a resident of Sylvania and a long-time member of Inverness.

Upon graduation from the University of South Florida, he joined the PGA Tour, spent some time as an assistant professional at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, and was a teaching professional at Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland.

He was reinstated as an amateur in 1987 and won the 1989 and 1999 Ohio Mid-Amateur Championships. He also added an Ohio Amateur Championship in 1995.

He qualified for three U.S. Senior Opens, finished inside the Top 10 in the British Senior Amateur on two separate occasions and is a past winner of the Ohio Senior Amateur Hall of Fame Championship

Fadel has been very active in the promotion of golf throughout the state and has served on several boards of golf related organizations.

The third inductee with Toledo ties is John Cook. Cook was born in Toledo before his father took a job with Firestone and moved the family to Akron’s Firestone Country Club.

Cook eventually ended up in southern California and honed his skills under the tutelage of Ken Venturi.

Cook was a standout on the Ohio State University golf team which won the 1979 NCAA Championship.

He also won the 1978 U.S. Amateur and finished runner-up to Mark O’Meara in the 1979 U.S. Amateur. He won six other prestigious amateur tournaments and turned professional in 1979.

Cook won 11 titles on the PGA Tour in a 30-year career. He spent time in the top-10 in the world golf rankings and was a member of the 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

He has added eight more wins on the Champions Tour and has finished inside the Top 10 on the Champions Tour money list every year since 2008.

Cook is a Buckeye through and through and is very deserving of his selection for the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame.

The fourth member of the 2014 Ohio Golf Hall of Fame class is Don Nist, who grew up in the Massillon, Ohio, area and played his college golf at Ohio State.

Nist has won numerous amateur events in northeastern Ohio. In addition, he won the 1957, 1965 and 1972 Ohio Public Links Championships, qualified for the two U.S. Senior Opens and three U.S. Senior Amateur Championships.

Nist has also over-achieved off the golf course, serving one term in the Ohio House of Representatives.

The Ohio Golf Hall of Fame includes some very big names in the world of golf and the gentlemen added to that illustrious club this year reinforce the traits of sportsmanship and success that every golfer strives to attain.

Fred Altvater offers golf tips and videos at www.toledoohiogolflessons.com. Email him at BackNine@toledofree press.com or follow him on Twitter @tolohgolfr.

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Kyle White said she will never turn her back on her hometown. Though she has moved around, Toledo will always have a special place in her heart.

“I love being here,” White said. “My friends and my family are here and it’s a good place to be.”

Kyle White performed a song dedicated to Toledo for this year’s “Red, White & You Too!” CD.

For this year’s Toledo Free Press “Red, White & You, Too!” CD benefiting The American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio, White wrote and performed a song dedicated to the city she loves.

“‘Glass Cities’ is a song about how I feel about Toledo,” White said. “I wrote it kind of in response, not really in response, but kind of an answer back to people who are so down on our city.”

White said she wants her listeners to take away an optimistic feeling from the track, which talks about never throwing stones at the town that raised her.

“As far as this song — a positive message [encouraging] living for the moment and not taking life too seriously,” White said. “It becomes a burden.”

White has not always been a Toledoan. She lived in Portland, Oregon, for a few years as a child and when it came time for college, White packed her bags and moved out to Cleveland.

“I was going to Cleveland State, then I moved back to Toledo and finished college at the University of Toledo,” White said. “I liked Cleveland but it wasn’t home.”

White finds inspiration in “everyday life. “A lot of songs that I wrote are my own personal experiences,” she said.

Working on these benefit discs for the past few years has given White a glimpse of many different musical perspectives.

“You get to hear a lot of other people’s music and experience that and that’s kind of cool,” she said.

White said her goal for the album is simple: to raise sufficient funds for the Red Cross.

“I hope that they sell a lot of them and raise a lot of money,” White said. “That’s the whole purpose behind it.”

The CD is available for $10 at area Frisch’s Big Boy and Ralphie’s locations.

White’s next step includes some personal projects as well as collaborations with other Toledo musicians.

“I’m writing and working on my third album right now, which I’m hoping to have done by this fall or early winter,” White said. “I’m trying to start a songwriting session with other songwriters in Toledo to collaborate and write music that way.”

White said she is thankful that Michael S. Miller, who produces the benefit CDs, chose her to sing for each of the projects.

“It’s neat to be part of a compilation of other area artists,” White said. “It’s nice to be included in part of a community thing where everyone is contributing something worthwhile.” O

Area Make-A-Wish office hires new leadership

By making others’ wishes come true, two new members of the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation are fulfilling one of their own — the wish to change lives.

Cherie Chatreau-Grifo, new senior development officer at Make a Wish Foundation

Cherie Chatreau-Grifo, new senior development officer, and Doug Kelly, new president and CEO, expressed the enjoyment they get from seeing children’s wishes come true in through Make-A-Wish.

“I had no idea how much of an impact it can make,” Chatreau-Grifo said. “It doesn’t just change the child’s life. It changes the whole family. Mom and dad get a break. It’s covered financially, all the plans are made ahead of time for them. When they get there they’re treated like stars wherever they go. When they get back, they’re refreshed and the kid wants to continue his treatments now because he feels better, he’s happier.”

Chatreau-Grifo said this is different from any work she’s ever done, even though she’s always worked in the nonprofit area, previously with child protective services and then the Arthritis Foundation.

“Before, it was just like pulling teeth to get people to help,” Chatreau-Grifo said. “Here people just want to get involved. They want to help. You can see it. I was looking for something that would reignite my passion. I had a previous employer talk to me about it, and said this would be a great opportunity.”

Chatreau-Grifo’s job is to fundraise to ensure the wishes can be financially supported. Each wish is provided at no charge to the family — hotels, plane tickets and meals. Make-A-Wish makes all the plans, so the families can relax and take a break.

“Basically, I go out and let everyone in the community know what we do and why we do it, and then ask for money,” Chatreau-Grifo said. “I’m looking for people who want to support this. I just try to grant the funds for all the wishes that we get. Right now we have 68 wishes we’re working on in Northwest Ohio.”

Many of the wishes Make-A-Wish grants to children with [life-threatening medical conditions] include trips to Disney World, swims with dolphins or meeting a professional athlete. Chatreau-Grifo said the kids, ages 2 to 18, get more creative with their wishes when they’re older.

“The ones that really touch you the most are the ones who want to pay it forward,” Chatreau-Grifo said. “We had a girl in Cincinnati whose wish was to feed the hungry. She wanted them to have hot soup. They set up a meeting with chef Jean-Robert [de Cavel] and came up with a soup that they call Natalia’s Soup of Love. They served it at all the soup kitchens in Cincinnati, and I’m reaching out and we’re going to try to serve it here in Toledo at the Cherry Street Mission.”

Kelly said kids like Natalia and all the other wish kids are what inspire him in his job.

Doug Kelly, new president and CEO of Make a Wish Foundation

“There are many things that are inspirational about Make-A-Wish, but let’s just start with the kids that we serve. These are kids with life-threatening conditions, whether it be cancer or cystic fibrosis. These kids live, many times, in the climate of no: no friends, no sports, no playing outside. What we do is we say ‘yes’ to something they really, deeply want. Sometimes it’s building a man cave in their basement. Sometimes it’s a trip to Disneyland, but that yes is a very, very powerful thing.”

Kelly began a new job search after leaving electoral politics. When his brother died unexpectedly at 51, Kelly said he was motivated to do something bigger and more cause-driven.

“I wanted to do something that kind of moves the needle and makes a difference on a larger scale. I talked to my wife and started a six-month job search. I saw this listing for the president of Make-A-Wish, and I turned to my wife and said, ‘Yes! That’s what I want to do.’”

Kelly said he works with the board of directors, their team and others with a vision to see wishes granted, making Make-A-Wish in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana succeed as much as possible.

“One is to make sure we’re raising the money we need, that we have the vision the organization needs,” Kelly said. “That we’re keeping the talent onboard to make sure that we can achieve our mission, which is to grant the wishes of the kids with life-threatening illnesses. At the end of the day, that’s the CEO’s job.”

Kelly said Make-A-Wish grants about 800 wishes a year in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and this year will be granting about 810. Those wishes are made possible through donations of both money and airline miles.

Kelly said the donations of frequent flyer miles are incredibly useful because about 75 percent of wishes require flights, and the miles never expire.

Kelly said 76 percent of the money used at Make-A-Wish goes to grant wishes. There are Make-A-Wish chapters in Toledo, Cincinnati, Louisville, Cleveland, Columbus and Indianapolis. If money is raised in Northwest Ohio, Kelly said, they keep that money in the area.

“We want people to understand that Make-A-Wish is a very local organization,” Kelly said. “You can become a volunteer on a local level. You can grant wishes in your community. Everyone who comes in contact with a wish comes away with a renewed sense of faith in humanity.

“I’ve been six months on the job, and it’s the greatest job I’ve ever had,” Kelly said.

For Chatreau-Grifo, that means money she raises in Northwest Ohio stays in Northwest Ohio. She said people can see how their money is affecting the lives of the children.

“At the end of the day, the thing that we’re really focused on is providing the wishes for these kids to give them hope, strength and joy,” Kelly said. “And everyone who comes in contact with that — you can never have too much hope in your life.”

NASA Roadshow visits Toledo to help local companies

The NASA Roadshow, an innovative approach to economic development and job creation, visited Toledo June 12 to help area companies solve their technical challenges.

The Roadshow made its local stop at the Tom and Elizabeth Brady Innovation Center the the University of Toledo’s engineering campus to report how it has assisted several local companies. Toledo was one of two stops the Roadshow made in Ohio with the other visit to Youngstown.

NASA chose Toledo and Youngstown based on the specific technical challenges facing local companies that would benefit from the brainpower, research capabilities and resources at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

“Ohio really understands it and has taken a leadership role in this program. We intend to remain active in Ohio,” said Diana Hoyt, program executive for innovation and strategic partnerships in the office of the chief technologist at NASA headquarters, who spoke at the event.

The Roadshow is part of a federally funded, three-year experimental program developed to comply with a White House directive that NASA and other federal agencies accelerate their technology transfer activities by making the benefits of its research and development investments available to private enterprises.

“NASA is here to help companies develop new technologies using the NASA brand,” Hoyt said.

Several businesses from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan were given an opportunity to spend eight hours with NASA experts in their field to address the challenges they face. Hoyt called upon some of those businesses in attendance to relate their experience to the Roadshow audience at UT.

A team from Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in Findlay said they met with two highly trained experts to discuss how NASA’s expertise could help the company create simulations of solutions to meet their manufacturing challenges.

A representative from Metal Forming and Coining Corp. in Maumee looked to NASA’s expertise to help the company improve efficiencies in the manufacturing process for automotive components.

NASA provided some mechanical expertise to H & H Specialties of Temperance, Michigan, for production of “green” foam products for the pharmaceutical industry.

Two other companies that received technical expertise from NASA included Henny Penny Corp. of Eaton, Ohio, and SkyLife Technology Holdings LLC of Toledo. SkyLife Technology developed a new disaster relief distribution system that could get aid to disaster victims quicker.

Four other area companies have been invited to the Glenn Research Center to receive help from NASA scientists, including a second division of Cooper Tire, Hirzel Canning Company in Northwood, SPB Global LLC in Perrysburg, and Nextronex Inc. which operates out of incubator space at UT.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to work with NASA about our technology. It’s good for the Northwest Ohio region,” said Susan Bernard, founder and director of business development for SPB Global.

SPB Global is a distribution company for the aerospace industry that is developing wearable technology and seeking a patent with aerospace applications, Bernard said.

NASA engineers will assist seven additional companies with on-site visits or teleconferencing to include Akadeum Life Sciences of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Aircraft of Adrian, AV3 Limited of Columbus, Mennel Milling Company of Fostoria, Plastic Technologies Inc. of Holland, Rowmark LLC of Findlay and SFC Graphics of Toledo.

“NASA can help move these businesses forward by providing its technical expertise,” said Keith Burwell, CEO of the Toledo Community Foundation, which cultivated a relationship with NASA which led to these opportunities.

Jim Garrett, CEO of Vadxx Energy in Cleveland, spoke about how NASA contributed engineering expertise for a simulation of a kiln process to recycle plastic waste into energy products. Rockwell Automation was a strategic partner with Vadxx on the design and engineering of the kiln process.

Garrett said that telling venture capital sources that they were working with NASA produced both unexpected and unintended results that led to increased investments in their company.

In addition to the Toledo Community Foundation, other organizers of the event included Lucas County Economic Development Corp, Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, Northwest Ohio Manufacturing Expansion Partnership, Ohio Development Services Agency, Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, UT Innovation Enterprises, and UT LaunchPad Incubation Program.

“Bringing the Roadshow to Toledo is the result of strategic relationship building by UT and regional partners. We hope for outcomes like this event to bolster economic development and job creation in the region,” said Jessica Sattler, director for economic engagement and business development programs. She also oversees the LaunchPad Incubation Program.

Burwell hosted the event and introduced the speakers. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur addressed the event on video. Lucas County Commissioner Carol Contrada thanked NASA for its contributions to the county. Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins was scheduled to speak at the event but was unable to attend due to city business, Burwell reported.

Police museum prepares for second annual car show

A troupe of cars and antique emergency vehicles will soon make a pit stop at the Toledo Police Museum.

The “Cops and Rodders Car Show,” which the museum inaugurated last year, rides into town from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22 It will take place at Ottawa-Jermain Park next to the museum, which is located at 2201 Kenwood Blvd.

Museum Director Shay Carlson said the venue is perfect for this show.

“The Ottawa-Jermain Park Board has been very generous to us,” Carlson said. “We can park the cars anywhere we need to. It’s a beautiful venue, it’s shady and it has the shelter house with tables.”

Carlson said the purpose of the show initially was to garner publicity for the museum.

“We have several retired and current active duty police officers who are car fans,” Carlson said. “It seemed like a nice way to have an event at the museum that would raise awareness of the museum and that would draw our police family to the museum for an event.”

Jeff Hauden, a local car enthusiast, said he was inspired to suggest the show to museum staff after helping in a restoration last year. Hauden noticed the spacious park next door and thought immediately of hosting a car show.

Hauden has been a car aficionado since his youth.

“It started as a teenager,” Hauden said. “I built car models growing up, went to the racetracks and the dragways. I’ve always been interested in cars.”

Hauden will display his 1967 Chevelle at this year’s show.

Accompanying the vehicle display will be music by DJ Cruisin’ Zeake, coffee and doughuts, door prizes donated by local businesses and a 50/50 raffle. Because of the turnout at last year’s event, Carlson said she is optimistic they will have a good crowd this year.

“We hope that we get a lot of repeat participants and, if we were to get 300-350 cars, we would feel like we had established ourselves as an event that people want to participate in as well as attend,” Carlson said.

The event led to a partnership with the Cleveland Police Museum. The Cleveland museum’s show, which takes place June 21, will feature only antique police vehicles. Some of those vehicles will also be shown in Toledo the following day.

“The Cleveland police vehicles are an added attraction,” Carlson said. “We don’t have any limits or criteria on what kind of vehicle can participate in the car show. If you want to show your car, you can show your car.”

Carlson said the community of antique car collectors has been instrumental in the event’s success.

“We expected somewhere between 30-50 cars, [but] we ended up with over 200 cars and we were told that we could expect even more this year,” Carlson said. “The car show community is pretty tightly knit and they really like our venue in the park.”

Museum President Beth Thieman said last year’s event left her pleasantly surprised.

“We were just praying for 100 cars to show up for our first show,” Thieman said. “As the cars kept rolling in and the count went over 200, I looked around at the scene that had unfolded. The weather was perfect, cool classic cars everywhere, people smiling and strolling around under the trees, visiting with each other — it was just a great day.”

Carlson said she fondly remembers the feeling of family fun that last year’s event garnered.

“My favorite part was the atmosphere of a reunion for a lot of our police officers, as well as discovery of the museum by people who had not yet had the opportunity to visit,” Carlson said.

Carlson said she hopes people take the opportunity to socialize and learn about the police department while they examine classic cars.

“It’s just a gorgeous opportunity to get out with the family, see people you know, meet people you don’t know yet, see vehicles and see the museum,” Carlson said.

Hauden said all of the opinions he heard at last year’s show were positive.

“It seemed like everybody that I talked to enjoyed themselves,” Hauden said. “A lot of these shows are in parking lots or open fields with no shade, so that’s why I thought this would be a great place to have a show. With the museum open, it was a great venue.”

Hauden said he and the staff at the museum are thankful the community was so prepared to help.

“Without everyone’s support, the participants of the show and the companies that have donated, this wouldn’t have been possible,” Hauden said.

The deadline to pre-register cars for $8 was June 13.

The first 100 to pre-register will receive a T-shirt and dash plaques. From June 14 to the day of the show, registration will be $10.

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Culbreath: Championship is coming

There’s a cycle of Internet trends. Cat stuff, a dumb song or dance, and something related to Game of Thrones. You can make that round in a week online nowadays.

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And as much as I’m a fan of Thrones, it is admittedly getting tiresome to see a hackneyed list of comparing one group of something… whether it be politicians, universities, or desserts… to the massive cast of the epic fantasy TV series. (On an unrelated note… if it’s a book, I can call it a fantasy epic. If it’s video, though, it’s epic fantasy. Weird.)

And so it was earlier this week where an animated video was released comparing NBA teams in the playoffs to the various houses and characters of Westeros. I won’t list them here, but you can rightfully assume that the Miami Heat were the rich and powerful Lannisters, and the Chicago Bulls were the noble, perhaps too naive Starks (complete with Carlos Boozer sitting in for Hodor, the simple brute who can only speak his own name. BOOZER).

There was one comparison, though, that made all of the sense in the world: The San Antonio Spurs were pictured at the end of the video as the White Walkers: the undead army of ice that lives in the North and is a threat to the entire nation. Portrayed in the video by Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Greg Popovich, as ghastly white demons. The video closes with Coach Popovich holding up a whiteboard while howling: the whiteboard reads “CHAMPIONSHIP IS COMING.”

Ain’t that the truth.

True facts: with their 112-77 whoopin’ on Oklahoma City in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the trio of Parker, Duncan, and Manu Ginobli have 111 playoff wins, the most by any group of three players playing together in NBA history. They don’t get a whole lot of love, simply because of their style of play. But it seems like it’s just around playoff time where suddenly everyone says “Oh, right, they’re pretty good.” They have a commanding two game lead on the Thunder going into Sunday’s Game 3, and unless something wacky happens, you can expect to see them in the finals again.

I look at that trio of guys, and I think back over to Cleveland. The Cavaliers got some interesting news this week when they won the NBA Draft Lottery. And I love that they got it: the Cavs certainly didn’t tank going down the stretch of the regular season. In fact, I’d say Kyrie Irving played a little too much at the end there, simply risking injury. With Tuesday’s lottery, the Cavs will be taking home the first overall pick for the 3rd time in 4 years, meaning that they’re officially better playing with ping pong balls than they are playing with basketballs. (By the way, if New York or LA had won the lottery that often? You’d never hear the end of how the fix was in.)

Now, San Antonio’s trio all came out of the draft: Tony Parker was the first overall in 1997, Manu was a second round pick in 1999 (and spent a few years playing in Italy before joining the team in 2001), and Tony Parker was the 28th pick in 2001. Looking at what Cleveland has, they could put together something similar: Kyrie Irving has been the franchise since you-know-who took his talents to you-know where. Anthony Bennett last year was… an abberation. But hey, 2012 first round pick Dion Waiters had a decent year, and the opportunity to add another stud out of this class is a gift.

That is, of course, assuming that there isn’t another…. aberration. And I don’t mean in the draft (though, when it comes to the Cavs, who knows.) No, I’m talking about the juicy piece of meat known as Kevin Love that’s hanging out in the wind. Stuck in Minnesota, with nowhere to go but down (Kevin Garnett knows that feeling, bro), Love has told the T-Wolves that he’s not signing an extension, and it’s in their best interest to trade him somewhere where he can win. The Cavs have made a push for him before, and now they have this first overall draft pick in their back pocket. It seems like a nice idea, but I’m not sold on it. When you have Andrew Wiggins staring at you from Kentucky (or even Joel Embiid right next to him), you gotta go in on him. If you get these guys together through the draft, get them to buy into Cleveland as a whole, and get them winning, you could end up in a Spurs-like situation. I’m not saying they’ll win as much, but succeed enough, and you’ll see them want to stay with the franchise that put them together.

(And don’t give me that “Lebron is coming back” garbage. He’s not.)

Model the team after San Antonio. Get a core. Get them winning. And they’ll stick with the franchise until the end.

The opening event will take place 7-9 p.m. May 10. Following the opening, gallery hours will be noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The exhibit will close with a reception and artist talk 7-9 p.m. May 24.

“Autism: A Mexican Adventure” features 17 panels, all of which tell the fictional story of a father who takes his autistic son on a journey through Mexico, while coping with the recent death of his wife in America.

The exhibit utilizes a mixed media technique of folded paper and 3-D pencil drawings. Matis said that while the story is fiction, there are elements of truth, as well.

“I have incorporated my own personal experiences with raising a special needs child into a surrealistic narrative that leads the father and son on a mystical dream journey.”

Viewers will be “directly involved” with the artworks, walking by the text and images on the gallery walls while listening to recorded material. The show assumes the role of storyteller and engages the senses to bring the narrative to life.

“I hate to be old-school about it, but I’ll have CD players there,” Matis said. “The text will be there with each panel, but this adds another dimension to it.”

Matis’ son provides narration on the accompanying CD. The concept of blending audio and visual art has been an interest of Matis’ for some time.

“I’ve been in art for most of my life, and I’ve been doing what I call ‘songbooks’ for many years. They kind of evolved from a band I was in (Uzizi), where we used slides on a wall during a live show.”

Leso Mt. Alban, photo courtesy Craig Matis

Matis said that this project came about as a way to express his interest in Mexico and its culture, along with his role as a parent.

“The pieces of art incorporate a lot of Mexican iconography and landmarks. In some ways, it’s sort of a travelogue through Mexico.”

“There’s some element of truth to it. My son did go to Mexico with me several times.”

Matis said that he lived in Los Angeles for seven years, and the Hispanic culture there drew him in, which eventually led to his curiosity about Mexico.

“There’s so much color there, the way people decorate their homes, the artwork, and the people are quite attractive to me.”

Peter Wolf to sing, share stories in Ann Arbor

It was Peter Blankfield’s grandmother who gave the rowdy youngster growing up in the Bronx his nickname: “Little Wolf.”

“She was the lady who gave me my first cigarette, my first taste of whiskey, and she brought me to the theater,” he said of Anna, who was an actress in New York City’s Yiddish Theater. “She had a great influence on me. She was somebody who sort of steered me in the direction that I’m in now.”

Peter Wolf

And that term of endearment became his stage name — eventually.

“I started as a painter and painted all my life, and I always was a music fan. And then when I came to Boston to study painting, I had a roommate — his name was David Lynch — he decided to go into filmmaking, and I decided to go into music,” he said.

Wolf became a star as the passionate lead singer with a penchant for fast-talking storytelling in The J. Geils Band. With that energetic frontman, the group’s live shows became legendary.

Think of “Must of Got Lost” with Wolf’s epic intro, complete with “Woofa Goofa with the green teeth.”

“We used to go through Cleveland and Detroit with The J. Geils Band; just being able to connect with the audiences and having audiences remain loyal throughout the years is a meaningful thing for someone that does what I do,” the singer-songwriter said.

His love of music was influenced by a concert organized by DJ Alan Freed he saw when he was 10.

“At that show was Jerry Lee Lewis; Little Richard; Chuck Berry; Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers; Buddy Holly; The Everly Brothers; Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; Jo Ann Campbell, the Blonde Bombshell; Dion and the Belmonts; and Dicky Doo and The Don’ts. So I was baptized into rock ’n’ roll at a very early age,” he recalled during a call from Boston.

“Seeing that show, it was pretty hard to beat. When I look back at it, the remarkable thing is I remember every performer and I don’t necessarily remember the exact songs they did, but I remember all the different performers; it just stayed with me all my life.”

Fête d’Été tour to combine local dining, bike riding

Gone are the old days of stuffy wine tastings and dinner pairings. A group of Oregon winemakers and local aficionados have decided to take things mobile — on two wheels.

Photo courtesy Adam Mahler

Anne Amie Vineyards, a small, family owned winery in Willamette Valley, Ore., will offer a unique twist on traditional winemaker dinners with its second Fête d’Été bike ride tour.

The tour — with stops in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati — concludes in Toledo at 6 p.m. May 21.

Instead of five courses in one restaurant, the winemaker tour boasts progressive bicycle dinners. In each city of the tour, participants will travel by bicycle between five restaurants in general proximity.

Fête d’ Été translates from French to “summer party.” Adam Mahler, owner of Ampelography, a local wine sales and marketing firm, is hosting the Toledo event. He said the title encompasses the spirit of Toledo in late May.

“The thing that’s cool about Ohio is we get so excited for summer to come. It starts building in April, and by May, we’re just crazy and wanting to do things outside, and biking is a natural fit.”

This will mark the second time the bike ride has taken place in Toledo. The last was in 2012.

Mahler said he can personally affirm the unique experience that the event provides.

“I’m like everyone else — I drive everywhere,” Mahler said. “But, I started getting into a little bit of urban biking, and I realized that the city looks different when you’re on a bike. I felt like that is part of what is going on — in all these cities — is this resurgence, and that’s how we approached it.”

“We just wanted to set it apart. We wanted to do something different.”

Photo courtesy Adam Mahler

The ride will begin at the Toledo Museum of Art, with a serving and presentation by TMA Executive Chef Drew Ruiz.

Ruiz, an avid bike enthusiast, will join the bike tour following his stop.

“I ride my bike 12 months out of the year,” Ruiz said. “My only stipulation was that I wanted to do the first course so I could ride with them for the other four.”

“There’s something to be said for [dinners] that are set outside, and being outdoors and physically interacting with their world,” he added. “This, in my opinion, allows people to heighten their senses … occupied by more than just the plates in front of us.”

From TMA, the ride will move to Mancy’s Steaks, then back downtown for stops at Manhattan’s and the Oliver House Courtyard, and finishing at Registry Bistro.

Registry co-owner and Executive Chef Erika Rapp said she will be manning the kitchen during the Toledo ride, but she is signed up to bike the Cleveland leg of the tour.

“I think it’s a fun time,” Rapp said. “It’s great wine, and a chance for different restaurants to participate in a dinner together, and I like to ride my bike, so it’s a good time.”

Guests must provide their own bicycles and wear proper safety gear.

For those concerned about inebriated bicyclists, Mahler said that the portions of wine will be small enough that intoxication will not be an issue.

“We want to do this by the law, and be smart about it.”

Mahler hopes the success of the event will lead to more in the future.

Bike Tour 4, Photo courtesy Adam Mahler

“We’ll definitely keep this going. This year, the enthusiasm was really high. We’d like to do this every other year.”

The dinner costs $80, all-inclusive, and comes with a T-shirt with the Fête d’ Été logo.

At press time, the events for Toledo and Cleveland were sold out, but a waiting list is available on the website.